Revised quarantine concept could bolster Canucks’ hub-city bid
Canucks’ proposal captures imagination of NHLPA
There’s selling the NHL and selling the NHL Players Association. And then there’s selling provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
When B.C. Premier John Horgan announced an amendment Wednesday to the additional 14-day self-isolation period required when re-entering the country — a plan that still adheres to strict novel coronavirus protocols — he provided a platform for Vancouver to be considered more than 1-of-10 finalists for the two-city hub concept for post-season play.
The plan would allow teams to travel to B.C. from abroad and adhere to the additional isolation period in what has often been called a “cohort quarantine.” It’s one that was pitched by Alberta health officials in the Edmonton hub proposal.
In theory, the Canucks could gather at the outset of training camp, remain in a local hotel for the first two weeks of their three-week camp and then transition into post-season play.
The Canucks’ proposal has not only been approved by Henry and the provincial government, it has also captured the imagination of the NHLPA. A provision to include families in the 14-day quarantine “bubble” concept will ease the considerable concerns players have of being separated from family during two 12-team conference playdowns and the 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs.
Families would stay in the same hotel as the team and board private buses to practices, meals and other events organized by the club. And they would also receive regular COVID-19 testing at the expense of the team, so in the big picture the proposal checks a lot of boxes.
“We’re promoting the family element of what B.C. provides and how that fits in the quarantine will be up to the teams to figure out,” Horgan told Postmedia News. “A family coming here could be in a family unit where the team takes up two or three floors of a hotel and there’s no co-mingling with residents.
“It’s the impact on you and me that the quarantine is there for.”
Still, you’d think convincing Henry would have been difficult. She knows health has to come before hockey.
“Not at all,” said Horgan. “When I mentioned it, she lit up. Of course, she immediately went to: ‘I’ve go to see a plan.’ But her initial excitement said to me that this was worth pursuing. She has been very diligent and successful because we’ve been in this together.
“Among all of us, she does not want to put this (COVID19 awareness) at risk. She has bought into it. And the Canucks didn’t negotiate. It wasn’t about trying to squeeze a little bit more. It was how can we make this work? So I think we’ve got a solid proposal and one that the NHL will have to take a good, hard look at.”
Las Vegas has long been considered the favourite to host the western segment of post-season play while no favourite has emerged from the east. Toronto, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Los Angeles are the other finalists. The league is expected to make a decision on the two hubs in the next two weeks.
“I haven’t even heard a peep out of Toronto,” said Horgan. “On the Canadian side, it’s Vancouver and Edmonton. I talked to (Alberta Premier) Jason Kenney about this and he approached me about a joint (quarantine) effort, but I preferred to work with Dr. Henry and our public health officials, who are behind us 100 per cent.”
We wanted to make sure the health component was front and centre in our proposal.”
Premier John Horgan
“That will be the difference between success and failure. We wanted to make sure the health component was front and centre in our proposal. And that’s why we thought we should go at it alone, rather than joining up with Edmonton.”
Alberta has been as proactive as B.C. to stop the spread of COVID-19, especially Edmonton. On Tuesday, health officials reported just 112 active cases of the 623 confirmed in the Alberta capital and 498 have recovered. Ontario has struggled with a high rate of daily infections, but is making some progress. Health officials reported 251 new positive cases Wednesday to push the provincial total to 31,341.
What may also work for Vancouver is selling the league on the Lower Mainland being the place to be in this summer — not just a place to be.
As opposed to soaring heat and humidity in Las Vegas or other cities that have seen COVID-19-positive case spikes during widespread support for the Black Lives Matter marches and protest movements, Vancouver has not gone unnoticed. It has set the health awareness bar and hosting standard for international sporting events such as the 2010 Winter Olympics and world junior hockey championship.
Meanwhile, thousands of tourists have been crowding 23 casinos during the recent reopening of the Las Vegas economy. And because those casinos are located in proximity to T-Mobile Arena — home of the Golden Knights — they can pose a COVID-19 transmission threat. Few patrons are wearing masks and dealers aren’t donning gloves. And they’re all walking the famous downtown strip with a risk of virus transmission.
Then again, Nevada can point to being only 38th in the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. — 8,935 compared to Ohio, which has the 15th most with 38,883 cases — but the state is trending in the wrong direction.
On Tuesday, Nevada health officials revealed 244 new cases, an above-average daily increase. It was the largest increase since May 22 and among the largest in Nevada during the pandemic. Some of the increase is justified by more testing, but the reality is thousands of tourists are not abiding by COVID-19 physical-distancing measures and could be spreading or contracting the virus.
That has to get the NHL’s attention.
“How many rinks are in Vegas?” asked Horgan. “How do you bring 12 teams to Vegas in August? It’s not really desirable for a family. Here, there’s just so much to offer and we have so much access to ice.
“Quite frankly, my biggest concern is that British Columbians get overly enthusiastic about this. And I made that clear to (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman. He wasn’t oblivious to how passionate hockey fans are in B.C. We don’t want fans hanging around the hotel.”
B.C. has done such a remarkable job of flattening the COVID-19 curve that suddenly the lack of a downtown practice facility to keep post-season play and accommodations in a controlled area might not be as big a hurdle as first feared in Vancouver.
It’s why working at multiple levels have given the local bid more bite.
“Our recent conversations with Dr. Henry and (Tourism) Minister Lisa Beare and members of the provincial government have been very collaborative and encouraging,” said Canucks chief operating officer Trent Carroll. “With their input and guidance from the NHL, we’re grateful to receive approval from the premier and Dr. Henry.”
If Vancouver becomes a hub city, teams arriving from the United States could abide by the amended 14-day additional self-isolation period by holding their camps in the Lower Mainland and remaining in a cohort quarantine in a downtown hotel. That would get them to the playdown stage and there’s certainly the infrastructure here to satisfy arena and hotel requirements.
Vancouver has at least a dozen five-star hotels in the downtown core that house from 377 to 733 rooms and convincing the NHL that Rogers Arena, Pacific Coliseum, UBC, Abbotsford and Langley would also meet the criteria shouldn’t be that difficult.
Rogers Arena would host three games a day and three vice sheets at UBC and Burnaby
8-Rinks could serve as practice venues. And those other Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley rinks could accommodate teams for training camp here to abide by the additional 14-day quarantine period.
Edmonton has the cavernous Rogers Place. It sports several locker-rooms, a practice facility attached to the building and a new 346-room JW Marriott hotel across the street accessed by an overhead tunnel.
Vancouver can counter with its 517-room JW Marriott a block away from Rogers Arena and proximity to worldclass restaurants for reduced service and seaside strolls with family to stay sane.
“We’re as good as we can be,” said Horgan. “Dr. Henry took this on personally and that’s how we got to this place.”
Now, it’s up to the NHL to grade her work.
With civil protests, rising COVID-19 cases and casinos filled with gamblers, Sin City might not be the odds on favourite to host the NHL. Premier John Horgan and Dr. Bonnie Henry are closer to being all in on Vancouver